5 Social Media Practices to Avoid

Associaton of Strategic Marketing March 7, 2013 — 1,667 views

Online media rooms are the most important part of business promotion, and any online marketing strategy should involve social media marketing. This strategy is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote products, services, ideas, information, or the business itself.

Regardless of its inexpensive nature, any mistake committed during social media marketing can cause businesses to lose more than they can afford. There are a few common social media mistakes that can be avoided to have a better chance of growth in the industry.

When Advertising Turns into Spam

Social media marketing is definitely important but it does not mean that companies should be obsessed about their own ideas. When businesses promote their content too often, viewers would begin to treat it like spam even if the content is innovative. Thought leadership is the most important part of online marketing, and people are more interested in companies that are concerned about customer welfare. Instead of posting content pertaining to customers, if companies engage in non-specific and constant marketing, the advertisement becomes redundant and turns into spam.

Once in a Blue Moon

On the other extreme of social media mistakes, there are companies that are irregular in posting content. Sporadic posts on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, or any other platforms will result in loss of clientele. It is necessary to keep the online audience engaged in business content as you chaperone them into the sales process. Typically, the results of social media marketing are seen over a long period of time. When businesses themselves do not stay focused on connecting with their customers regularly, they become unsuccessful in achieving the aim of their strategies.

Always Run by a Schedule

When it comes to business, nothing should be extempore, especially social media marketing. All content that is up on the Internet is available for public interpretation. When business content for social media is unplanned, there is an avenue for misinterpretation of information that can even cause downfall of large industries. It is true that social media is an informal platform. However, marketing professionals need to be aware that their social media content should to be well-planned with clear information, good language, and well targeted towards niche audience.

Generic will be Lost in the Crowd

Social media is a platform that accommodates people from every industry and all walks of life. Marketing in this platform succeeds when companies target niche buyers with their content and chaperone them towards the sales process. However, if social media marketing is adopted just for the sake of it and marketers post generic content on blogs or social networking sites, they would not be able to connect to their target audience, and their content will be lost in an ocean of audience with varied interests.

The Term is 'Social' Media

The whole objective of social media marketing is to build relationships with customers and audience. One of the biggest social media mistakes take place when businesses fail to interact on social media platforms by following other companies, professionals, experts, bloggers, etc. When they do not interact with interested parties by responding to posts, tweets, or comments their marketing efforts become futile. Social media works in both ways; it is a platform for interaction and it requires businesses to actively participate in media activities with their customers, partners, competitors, and other public audience.